The Life of Marisol Lewis
by Keepitchantay
Summary: When her life is falling apart, and her best friend isn't around, Marisol finds comfort in the least likely places. (Abuse trigger warning)
1. The Aftermath

**I dont own Degrassi!**

Everyone at Degrassi had an opinion of Marisol Lewis; though few knew _her_; the girl behind the infamous name, the girl who stood beside Katie Matlin, the girl who led the Power Squad. She walked the halls of Degrassi, everyone saw her; they though that she was a pointless existence; just another irrelevant cheer captain who had nothing meaningful happening in her life. But they were wrong. Very wrong. There was something there; something deep, something hidden.

Yes, Marisol Lewis **had** a story. And this is it..

* * *

She woke in the morning, looking over at her calendar, that hung on her wall, realizing that the weekend was over and she'd have to spend the day in school. Marisol sighed heavily, pulled down her sheets and stretched as she got out of bed. She walked to her window and looked out at her front yard. Marisol smiled as the warm sunlight met her face. It reminded her of a simpler time; when her biggest problem was choosing which game she and Katie would play.

Marisol went to her closet and shuffled through the clothing there. When she found her blue and gold Power Squad outfit, she stopped an removed it from the hanger. Freshman year,her cheer outfit was her favorite thing in the entire world, but now she avoided wearing it as much as she could. It amazed her just how much things could change.

Marisol changed in front of the mirror, looking over her body as she did. She'd never had bruises before him. She thought it was because she was darker skinned, but it was most likely due to the fact that she'd never been hit that hard. Seeing her marked skin caused Marisol's eyes to water. She dressed quickly, hurrying to cover the bruised skin. Not seeing them helped her forget that he'd hurt her. If she didn't see them, she could pretend that it was just a horrible dream. Marisol stared into her eyes, something she rarely did now. When she peered into her eyes, she saw nothing. Just a shadow of the girl she used to be. She continued looking into her eyes, wondering what the day would entail; wondering if 'he' would haunt her yet another day.

Honestly, she didn't know why she asked herself that each morning when she knew the answer would be the same as always; yes. Yes, she would spend her entire day worrying about what would happen. The fear and the anguish would forever be there. Somehow, she always did something wrong, she'd say the wrong thing or wear the wrong clothes. No matter what, it would happen, and no matter what, it was always her fault...

* * *

Marisol drove to school by herself. She missed picking up Katie and the conversations they had each morning. But, she had ruined that and now she had to fix their relationship.

Marisol still couldn't believe she did something so cruel to the person she called her best friend. Telling the school about Katie's bulimia was low, even for her. But, when she saw at Katie in the bathroom..it reminded her of before; the first time she heard her purging and visiting her in rehab. She saw how broken she was then. Marisol knew Katie better than anyone else; she knew how to help her, but also knew what would hurt her the most.

Marisol told the school she was lying, but that still didn't make it okay. She messed up big time and an apology might not be enough to fix it. But this wasn't the first time something like this happened, Their friendship had rocky moments that led to dirty fights and secrets being exposed. Like when Marisol tried out for the soccer team a few years ago. They were so different; that was a good thing. As long as no one entered the others territory, they got along fine. But getting guys was Marisols territory and she obviously felt threatened; not to mention she had her own issues going on.

Marisol prepared herself to apologize to Katie, something she rarely did. She usually justified all her actions, but this was different. She missed Katie and had to fix things with her, even if that meant begging on her knees for forgiveness. Marisol walked up to Katies locker and touched her shoulder lightly to get her attention. She turned to look at her.

Marisol took a deep breath and braced herself for what she would say next and Katie's response. "I'm so sorry, Katie. I never meant for it to go that far. I wasn't thinking straight. I was just so mad and jealous. But I know it wasn't your fault and I had no right to tell anyone that, especially not to get back at you", Marisol blurted out. She looked at her friend with pleading eyes, "Can you ever forgive me?"

Katie didn't answer her question. She simply said, "I want my best friend back, Mare." A wide grin appeared on Marisol's face. She didn't think Katie would forgive her at all, especially not so soon. Katie gave her a tight hug and she gladly returned it. After what felt like minutes, Katie pulled away. Her face was sympathetic and her tone loving, "Mare.. Don't take this the wrong way. I'm just looking out for you as your best friend..", she stalled, trying to find the right words, "Drew...h-he didn't want to be with you after your first date...and KC never really cared.." Katie took both of Marisol's hands in hers and looked directly into her eyes, "You don't have to go chasing after guys," Katie sighed. "You can do so much better than that. You deserve so much better."

Marisol sighed and tried to believe the sincere words her friend said. It was hard to think that was true. Marisol learned long ago that she would always be the second choice. KC only used her for a backup for when Jenna was having one of her 'bitchy' moments. Other guys used her for a quick hookup. "I know I do, and I know you care," she said in the most convincing voice she had. She didn't believe it, but the important thing was making sure Katie thought she did. Katie always tried to make Marisol feel like she deserved a good guy who loved her. But guys wouldn't date Marisol, so she took whatever short lived affection she could get. Marisol tried to change the subject before Katie gave her another Self-confidence Pep-talk, "I'm sorry about everything. I shouldn't have let a guy come between us. I totally understand why Drew would want a girl like you."

"And there's a guy out there who'll want you." Katie bit her lip to keep a smile from appearing on her face. "So..you're okay with me dating Drew then?"

Marisol couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Katie was asking for her approval to date Drew, "I just want you to be happy, Katie. And, if Drew makes you happy, I'll be glad for you." She wasn't totally okay with it, but she could see that Katie truly cared about Drew when all she had was a crush. And Marisol did want Katie to be happy. She was one of the few people who she could count on. Katie squealed and hugged Marisol again and then released her to close her locker. They grabbed hands and swung them as they walked down the hallways towards the student parking lot, like nothing had happened between them.

"You do know that if I really had to made a decision for who would be in the rest of my life, I would _never_ choose Drew over you, right?"

Marisol smiled, "I know you wouldn't. And I wouldn't pick anyone over you. We're best friends forever, no matter what."

**The next day...**

Marisol started taking down Katie's, and her, campaign posters for school president on the wall, her first official task as VP. She struggled to pull them off while holding the others in her hand at the same time. She was regretting using such strong tape to hang them. Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Marisol and helped her remove the largest poster on the wall. Once removing all the tape, she turned around to see who had come to her aid. She rolled her eyes when she saw who it was. She groaned giving him an insincere smile. "Thank you, Mo."

"Ouch! You'd think someone would be nicer to the person who helped them." Mo said sarcastically.

"Right. Sorry, I'm just cranky in the morning," she gave him a fake apologetic smile. Honestly, she didn't care about him or his feelings. "Anyways...thank you for your help, Mo." She looked over to see Katie standing at her locker, with Drew. Marisol watched silently as they flirted in the halls of Degrassi. A frown appeared on her face as she saw them playfully push each other and laugh. She hated how open they were about it. They were only official for less than a week and they'd barely been apart since. "You do know watching them will only make it worse, right?"

Marisol looked around, wondering who was talking to her. She found that Mo was the one addressing her. She'd forgotten that he was even standing beside her. She faked a confused look, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can see you staring at them. If looks could kill, they'd be dead by now," he pointed in their direction.

She oddly started feeling very defensive, "It's nothing. And even if it was something, it would be none of your business."

"Whatever you say" Mo replied with a disbelieving sound. He started walking away, but he turned back around as he continued talking and walked backwards, "If it makes you feel any better, I know how it feels to want someone you know you'll never get. Sometimes you just have to move on and accept reality." he walked down the hallway until she could't see him anymore. Part of her wondered who he was referring to, but she shrugged her shoulders and forgot about it. It wasn't important.

* * *

Marisol went through her the rest of her day as normal as possible, ignoring Katie and Drew together and trying to focus on school work. After school,and a shift at Little Miss Steaks, she finally went home. Marisol turned the key to the front door of her house and pushed it open quietly. Just like she expected, he was laying on the couch passed out, again. Marisol started picking up the empty beer cans that littered the floor

She heard him stirring so she turned her head to his direction. The look on his face was pure hatred. She tried her hardest to stand in front of him like she wasn't intimidated, like she was stronger than she truly was. But he could tell that underneath, she was a scared little girl. "Hi, dad."

"Do you have to do every damn thing wrong? I mean, you screw up everything"

Marisol looked down at the floor after being verbally attacked. She wasn't sure what the right answer was, she didn't even know if there was one. "No, sir. I don't."

He slapped her hard across the face and Marisol put her hand on her stinging cheek. Though she was in pain, Marisol still stood strong. He hit her again and again until she started to cry out in pain. That was one of the things he did often; hitting her until she finally broke. Years ago, they were inseparable, but everything changed. At first it started with a few drinks but that steadily grew into more and more. During the rare moments he wasn't drunk, Marisol could see glimpses of his former self, the person who loved and protected her. Marisol ran into her room and cried herself to sleep in her pillows. Forgetting about the world around her.

* * *

Marisol woke the next morning. She spent half an hour trying to cover the marks on the side of her face with makeup. She picked up her back pack and saw a box with a pink bow beside it. it was obviously her fathers attempt at an apology. She was used to getting gifts from him. Somehow he thought that presents could fix any problem. But nothing, even the Convertible she'd gotten, could makeup for the pain. She took the box with her. It was probably something that she didn't want; she wanted a guy to love her, she wanted her mother to care and she wanted her father to actually change. Things that just can't be found in a present box. She opened her backpack to take out her binder. She opened it to see her unfinished homework. Instead of trying to answer the problems quickly, she grabbed her car keys and left the house, wanting to as far away as possible.

Marisol pulled into a student parking space, she opened the box to see a necklace with a diamond heart. It was beautiful, something she would have picked herself. Marisol hooked the clasp behind her neck before looking at herself in the rearview mirror. She tried to smile at herself, but she couldn't. She met for early morning Power Squad practice. Marisol walked into the locker room and put her books on the bench. She and turned the lock to open the door.

"Another gift from 'daddy'?" Tori asked sarcastically, noticing the new jewelry around her neck.

Marisol clutched the necklace in her hand, "Yeah, it is."

"God! I'm so jealous!"

"Why do you even work at Little Miss Steaks when you can just ask your dad for money?" Another girl asked.

"I don't know. Just something to pass the time I guess." Actually, she was saving money, just in case she and her mother ever got a chance to leave her father.

**After practice...**

Marisol went to her first period class though she was dreading it. It was the one class she had with both Katie and Drew. Ever since they got together Marisol always felt left out, she didn't even sit with them anymore, not that they noticed. As Mr. Perino went around to collect the papers he assigned to do the night before. When he passed Marisol, he saw hers wasn't complete. He was beginning to be pissed at the fact that her work was never done. He stopped and laid his hands on her desk. He got into her face, like teachers do, and started yelling at her, "Can't you do a few simple problems. Do you have to do everything wrong?"

"You know what, Mr. Perino?" The class expected Marisol to yell back at him, but she didn't. She was actually rather sorrowful. "I get enough of this at home. I won't deal with it here too." There was so much venom in her voice though she never raised it, but in her eyes was a hint of pain.

Marisol walked into the girls bathroom. She saw Alli standing in front of the mirror and contemplated leaving, but decided against it.

Alli opened her mouth to talk but Marisol spoke first, "Bigger issues than you today, so save all your bitchy comments."

"Okay...someone's obviously a bad mood,'

* * *

Bianca sat in Mr. Perinos class looking at the clock slowly tick. She turned her head to see the commotion going on in the front of the room. When Marisol left the classroom, Bianca looked around, waiting for Katie to go see what was wrong. She saw Katie and Drew in the back of the class room flirting and when no one else left to go check on Marisol, Bianca felt obligated to. Something seemed off about her. There was this look in her eyes. Bianca had seen that look before. It'd been on her face many times, especially around Vince. A face that said "I'm in pain but there's nothing I can do about it." She walked the halls for a few minutes before deciding to look for her in the bathroom.

"Look who just walked in, Boilerroom Bianca." Alli taunted.

"Go away, Bhandari." Bianca demanded.

"Why? Have you made the bathroom your new hotspot?"

"There's a lot of crap in your past too, remember Backwoods"

"I'm doing my makeup so you'll just have to wait." Alli said with an attitude.

"Trust me, no amount of makeup could make you look attractive."

Alli rolled her eyes and started to leave the bathroom, "It smells like jealously in here and it's obviously not me."

Bianca sighed and closed the door leading into the bathroom, making sure to lock it. She walked back into the corridor and sat on the edge of a sink, "I guess you wanted to leave class early." She said to Marisol.

"Perino was just annoying me."

"I could tell," Bianca laughed, "The look on Perinos face was priceless! You know, you're kinda intimidating when you're not being such a priss"

"Was that a compliment from Miss DeSousa?"

"I guess it was," she was shocked that she could say anything nice about Marisol. "Anyways...I guess...I guess I was wondering if you were okay. That was quite a scene back there."

"I'm fine Bianca," she said in a nonchalant voice. But Bianca could see straight through her lies.

"Really? You don't seem fine. And what was the whole 'I get enough of this at home' thing about." Bianca stared her down and Marisol let out a pained breath, "Look. I get that I'm not the person you want to talk to, but you should talk to someone if-"

"Thank you for coming to see about me, but there's nothing going on with me," Marisol stated matter-of-factly

She didn't believe her, but Bianca knew Marisol wanted the conversation to end. And she couldn't force her to talk, "Okay. I guess I'll see you later then...?"

Marisol shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe."

"We could go to the mall this weekend, don't you like live there?" Bianca did have a secret agenda. Spending a day with Marisol would be one more day she didn't have to spend with Vince.

Marisol also wanted to spend the weekend with out having to worry about her dad and Katie was too busy with Drew to do anything with her. "Yeah. I'd like that. Unless I get detention for storming out of class."

"He won't give you a detention. Everyone in class saw him yell at you. But we should go back before Simpson finds us in here." Bianca hopped down off the sink and waked back to the classroom with Marisol by her side.


	2. The Newest Friend

Marisols father stomped into her room,"What's this?" He held up a piece of paper that showed her grades for each class. She was failing most of them, but Marisol wasn't naturally bright and spent most of her school day worrying about her mother and father. Grades just weren't high on her list of priorities now. She looked down at the ground in shame, "I'm sorry. I'll do better next time. I promise."

"You know how important your grades are. You're not gonna be able to float by your entire life," he ranted.

"I said I'm sorry!" She yelled back at him. His mind clouded with anger as he pushed her forcefully. Marisol's side collided with the nightstand making it, and her, fall over. She looked up at him from the ground. She could immediately tell he was regretful by the look on his face, and she would eventually give him her forgiveness even if he didn't ask for it, but that wouldn't change the fear she felt. Marisol ran her bathroom while holding her side in agony. She slammed the door closed and locked it to keep everyone out.

She didn't know where she wanted to go, but she knew she had to get out of that house, at least for a few hours. Katie was most likely with Drew and she didn't have many other friends. So, she pulled out her phone and texted the only other person she could think of, Bianca, 'Do u wanna do something 2day like shopping?' Marisol didn't know why Bianca came after her when she ran out of Perinos class, but she was glad she did. Their conversation in the bathroom was the first time someone actually noticed something was wrong and asked her if she was okay. Even though she lied, Marisol loved the fact that she now had someone who would listen to her if she ever got the courage to talk.

Bianca quickly texted back her, 'Sure :) I'll see u later." Marisol quietly unlocked the door and looked out. The last thing she wanted to do was upset her father even more. She tiptoed to her room and silently closed the door behind her. She picked up the things that knocked off her nightstand up. She carefully threw the shards of glass into her waste bin. Marisol went to her mirror and lifted up her shirt to see the new bruise forming. She sighed hardly. She pulled her shirt down and walked to her closet. She shuffled through the clothes to find something to wear. She dressed slowly so she didn't aggravate any of her injuries.

Marisol walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where her father and mother were. She could see tears in her mothers eyes, but she blocked them out. It was easier to not acknowledge when she cried or when she was pain. There was nothing she could do about the situation and if they didn't talk about it, she could pretend it never happened. "Can I please go out? My friend's waiting for me." She held up her phone, showing the text from Bianca as proof that she wasn't lying, "She'll get worried if I don't show up." Marisol wasn't sure if Bianca would even care if she come, but she needed an excuse. He didn't speak to her, he only nodded his head. She reluctantly went over to him and gave him a hug, "Thank you." It was forced and awkward, but she did it anyways. Marisol always thought that if she showed how much she did love him, he would start showing his love for her as well.

* * *

Bianca stood in her full length mirror, holding two different earrings up to her ear as she decided which one went best with the outfit she was wearing. It was simple, a short, cheetah print dress and a pair of heels. She had never been one to dress modestly. It had been a long time since she had been shopping with another girl. She usually avoided them when possible, but for some reason, Bianca wanted to get close to Marisol. She slipped her chosen pair of earrings in her ears and frowned as she glanced in the mirror and saw that her dress had hiked slightly, revealing the bottom of her bruise. She quickly reached down and pulled it down, hiding the mark quickly. She pushed all thoughts related to Vince to the back of her mind and smiled at her finished reflection, telling herself that this would be a great day. Bianca barely knew Marisol other than rumors that she'd heard. The only time they talked was bitchy comments directed at the other, that is, until the other day in the bathroom.

Bianca glanced at the clock on her phone and quickly grabbed her purse. She shouted a quick goodbye to her aunt and headed downstairs to the front of the apartment, smiling when she saw Marisol parked on the side of the street. She quickly made her way to the girl's car, ignoring the guys whistling at her, and hopped in, greeting Marisol with a smile. "Hi!" she said, reaching back to put her seat belt on. "Thank you for this, I really needed to get out of my house for a bit."

Marisol gave Bianca a kind smile as she got into the car. "It's no big deal. I needed to get out too," she admitted. Marisol sighed contentedly and began driving away from the apartment building after seeing Bianca put on her seatbelt. Marisol drove towards the shopping center. She fiddled with the radio knobs until finding a station that played the latest pop songs she loved. She hummed along to the music as she watched the road. Marisol wasn't sure what type of music Bianca listened to, but she assumed she would like catchy songs with silly lyrics about love or break ups. Like most teen girls did.

When they reached the mall, Marisol parked in the spot closest to the building. Walking through parking lots wasn't something she was found of and she avoided it when possible. Marisol got out of the car, taking the key from the ignition as she did. She made sure to lock the car with the button on her keys. After seeing the lights on her car flash twice, Marisol walked towards the entrance of the fully-lit shopping center with Bianca. A few students from school walked past them and stared slightly, but they continued walking side by side without a care.

They entered the first store they came to. Though Bianca had never shopped there, she'd heard annoying girls on campus talking about it. The shop smelled of strong perfume and played music much like Marisol listened to in the car. The blonde-headed saleswoman greeted them with a forced smirk as they walked in. Marisol gave her a small smile and told her that they didn't need any help at the moment. Marisol headed towards a rack of skirts with floral prints. She shifted through them until finding one she liked enough to buy. She grabbed a skirt her size, put it up to her body and looked towards Bianca asking her opinion, "What do you think?" You'd never see it at first glance, but Marisol was very self-conscious, always looking for the approval of others.

Bianca looked up at Marisol as she held the article of clothing in front of her for her judgement. Bianca looked it over and smiled. "I like it." she said with a nod. "Not my style, but it's very you." Bianca managed to find a dress in the store she kinda liked. They went to wait for dressing rooms, but the line was so long they decided to share one. It was awkward. They struggled to get the clothing on while keeping their bruises hidden. Bianca managed to keep hers covered, but Marisol's was too large to cover. When she saw the darkened skin on Marisols rib cage, Bianca gasped quietly. So many thoughts started running through her head and Bianca couldn't hold in her questions, "What happened, Mare?" It was the first time she used her nickname, but it felt right, like she'd been calling her that forever.

"Bad fall in Power Squad." she answered quickly. She was used to making excuses and explaining why her body was littered with bruises.

"That's a pretty big bruise..." Bianca touched it lightly making Marisol wince in pain. "Have you seen a doctor?" Bianca asked worriedly.

"B, my dad is a doctor." Marisol said with a 'duh' look on her face. He was also the person who put the bruises on her body, but she couldn't tell her that.

"Oh yeah. I remember someone saying something about that." Bianca believed her story, Power Squad was dangerous, girls broke their arms or legs all the time she playfully pushed Marisols shoulder, "Good, can't have my new friend getting hurt."

Marisol smiled at her. She was glad there was another person in her world she could go to. After going through all the stores they finally decided to get something to eat. They were both used to eating fast food. Bianca's aunt was never around to cook and Marisols mother was always too preoccupied with other matters.

They sat together in the food court after ordering a large order of fries to share. "Why'd you need to get away from home?" Bianca asked before tossing a fry into her mouth.

"Parents," Marisol kept her answer short, not wanting anymore to be asked. "What about you?"

"Um, problems with my boyfriend." Calling Vince her boyfriend was hard. She'd never willing go out with him.

"Who are you dating?" Marisol hadn't seen Bianca around school with anyone and she was usually up on all the latest Degrassi gossip. And Bianca wasn't the type of girl who 'dated' guys.

"He doesn't go to Degrassi. His name's Vince." Bianca said reluctantly. She always tried to steer clear of talking about him. Being stuck with him was the worst thing to ever happen to her, but she'd do anything to keep Drew safe.

"Oh cool. At least you don't have to worry about other girls going after him," Marisol said shrugging her shoulders. Marisol didn't really know much about what happened between Drew, Bianca and Vince, just that he was the cause of their breakup.

They spent the entire afternoon together and actually had fun. They had more in common than they thought. And most importantly, they both had issues they wanted to avoid. After dropping Bianca off at her aunts apartment, Marisol pulled into the driveway of her house and parked her car and got out. Marisol walked through the front door and was greeted with the sounds of her father yelling at her mother. She quietly walked up the stairs, knowing there was nothing she could do about it and trying to intervene would only make things worse for both of them. Marisol laid down on her bed and got her cellphone out. She texted Bianca to ask her to hang out the next day and she readily accepted her offer.

The next few weeks passed by with them spending more and more time together, growing closer. Katie didn't seem to notice, or maybe she was too busy with Drew to even care, but Bianca and Marisol were becoming fast friends.


	3. The Truth

Bianca and Marisol walked into Marisols room after another tiring day at school. They tossed their backpacks into the corner and Bianca went to sit on the edge of the bed. She bit her lip worriedly, dreading the conversation they were about to have. Marisol rolled her eyes,"What's with that look on your face?"

"What look? I don't have a look," she replied.

"Yeah, you do. It's a 'this is serious' look. What's going on?"

Bianca sighed. She wasn't expecting the bring up the topic so soon, "Marisol, I've been watching you and everyday I see a new bruise on your body. If someone is hurting you-"

"You're such a hypocrite, Bianca!" Marisol gave her a brutal scowl. "I've seen the marks from Vince! Wanna explain those?" She knew it was a low blow, but she wanted to distract the attention away from her own problems.

Bianca looked down at her wrist and the bruises there. "Those are nothing. They were just-"

"-an accident?" she cut her off knowing exactly what she would say next. Marisol crossed her arms judgmentally, "You and I both know that's not true, B."

"Okay, t-they weren't an accident. But I can't do anything about that."

"Why not? You can breakup with him."

"No! I can't!" Bianca screamed back at Marisol, "I'm with Vince to keep Drew safe."

"Wait, what?" Marisol sat down next to Bianca on the bed.

"He said as long as I do what he wants he'll leave Drew alone," she wasn't crying. She didn't even seem phased by it.

"Vince is forcing you to be with him?" Bianca nodded her head yes. "You really do love Drew," Marisol said under her breath.

"More than anything." Bianca said honestly. "I told you. Now talk to me. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing is wrong! Just because your life is screwed up doesn't mean mine is!" Marisol stood and began to walk away but Bianca grabbed her wrist so she couldn't. "Don't walk away from me." Her grip was firm, but not painful. Marisol looked back at her in fear.

"You're that scared that someone will hit you?" Bianca saw tears brimming in Marisol's eyes. She could tell that Marisol wasn't tough enough to handle this. Bianca had been dealing with situations like this since she was born; it made her skin thicker, but Marisol wasn't as strong as her. "Come here. I won't ever hurt you." She pulled Marisol to her in a tight, loving embrace. She held her close to her body. It caused some pain, but Marisol didn't care, it was nice to be in the arms of someone who loved her. Bianca softly rubbed her back. After a few moments, Bianca backed away and grabbed both of Marisols hands, "I need you to tell me who's hurting you."

Marisol closed her eyes while trying to think up a good story. "Look at me," Bianca demanded. When Marisols eyelids opened, Bianca stared directly into her eyes, "Don't you dare lie to me Marisol Lewis."

She looked down at the floor and quietly talked, "It was my dad..."

"Your dad?" Bianca said shocked. Marisol nodded. Suddenly everything started making sense her. Marisols 'I get enough of this at home' comment, her never wanting to be at her house, how distant she was when Bianca had dinner with her family. Bianca couldn't believe how blind she was to what was happening to Marisol. But now that she knew, she'd make it her mission to put an end to it. "I had no idea, Mare. He didn't look like the type of person who would do those things."

"He isn't, well, he wasn't. A few years ago, he started drinking, a lot. And he just gets mad sometimes."

"Mad enough to hit you?"

"I'm so dumb. It's usually my fault. If I actually did things right he wouldn't get angry." Marisol said sadly, feeling guilty.

"Don't listen to him. You're not dumb. You're the smartest person I know."

"Yeah right," Marisol said unbelieving.

"You choreograph every cheer the Power Squad does by yourself and teach it to all the other girls. And I've seen how well you manage Power Squad fundraisers." She smiled at her, "Smartness isn't all about grades. You're a great person. You don't need a stupid test to tell you that."

Bianca kissed Marisol's cheek, "And there's nothing you could ever do to justify him or anyone else hitting you, okay? You deserve better than that." Bianca reached over to the nightstand and pulled a few Kleenex's from the box that laid there. She gently wiped the smeared makeup off of Marisols face before tossing it in the waste bin, "Mare, we have to go to the police and make sure he never hurts you or your mom again."

"The police would never believe that one of Torontos best doctors is an abusive alcoholic."

"Yes, they will, they have to believe you. What about Officer Turner? He knows you."

"Yeah, he knows me as the girl who 'lied' and told the entire school Katie was bulimic. He won't take me seriously. Everyone thinks I'm a bitchy drama queen"

"There must be something we can do. Your mom can-"

"Did you know I have a brother?"

"No, you've never talked about him." Bianca said confused about the sudden change in the conversation.

"Yeah, he's two years older than me." Bianca looked at the photos around Marisol's room. She always assumed the boy in the pictures was an old family friend, but now it was obvious he that was her brother. "When he was 16, my dad was beating my mom, hard. And he tried to stop him. The neighbors heard the noise and called the police. When they showed up, my bother tried to explain that he was protecting my mom, but she told them that he started the fight and my dad was only acting in self defense. And they believed her."

"What?" Bianca didn't know how any sane police officer would let someone get away with domestic abuse, but she knew that most police were corrupt anyways.

"Then they sent him to some boarding school in California." Marisol said sadly. "My mom will do anything to protect my dad. She loves him, or at least who he used to be. If I even thought about telling someone, he'd send me to a boarding school too, and no one would be here to help my mom.

"If you show the police your bruises, there's no way they won't arrest him. He'll be gone. He won't be able to hurt her or you."

"And then what? My dad goes to jail for a few years? It won't change anything. As soon as he's released, he'll come back to my mom and she'll take him back, but he'll madder then. He'll beat her harder than before. I'll be at college and I wouldn't be able to help her. She'd be alone." She shook her head, "It will never end, Bianca. My mom doesn't want it to end,"

"I-I guess we're both stuck then" A sad but hopeful smile appeared on her face, "But, that doesn't mean we have to be miserable, Mare."

Marisol looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if we need to get away from it all, we have each other to talk to"

Marisol smiled, "Yeah. We do." Marisol got out her favorite movie, Gone with the Wind, and placed it into the DVD player, They laid back on Marisol's bed and watched the title credits appear. While they waited for the movie to start, Bianca spoke, "Hey, Where's your brother now?"

"He called me a year ago, told me all about how he was going to take photographs for some magazine in Afghanistan...and I haven't heard from him since."

"Do you think he's...?"

"Dead?" Marisol stated nonchalantly. Bianca nodded yes. "No, I don't think so. I mean, I don't have the facts or anything, but I feel like I would sense if he wasn't okay."

"You mean like telepathy or something?"

"Yeah, kinda. There are some people you just connect with and it's like you have wire between you. You think I sound crazy, right?"

Bianca thought about the only person she felt that close to, Drew, "No, you're not. I totally get it." Marisol looked at Bianca's face. She was staring, maybe too intently, but she was amazed that someone actually understood her. When Bianca saw her, she scrunched up her face in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Marisol brushed her thumb over Bianca's cheek, "I'm just glad that I have you" They both turned their heads to the screen and got lost in the life of Scarlett O' Hera and Rhett Butler.


End file.
